Obama Gets First-Hand Look at Iraq War
By VOA News
21 July 2008
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says he held constructive talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad Monday during the latest stop on the U.S. senator's international tour.
Obama met with Mr. Maliki and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in Iraq's capital, following a stopover in the southern city of Basra. Obama did not reveal further details of their talks.
The U.S. senator also met today with the number two U.S. military commander in Iraq and was expected to hold talks later with top U.S. commander General David Petraeus.
The U.S. strategy in Iraq is a key issue in the November election race between Obama, the presumptive Democratic party nominee, and his opponent, Republican Senator John McCain.
Obama is a long-time critic of the war in Iraq, and has suggested a 16-month timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops. McCain has called for a long-term U.S. security commitment to Iraq.
On Sunday, Obama stopped in Kuwait after visiting Afghanistan, where he described the country's situation as "precarious and urgent."
Obama said Afghanistan, not Iraq, should be the focus of U.S. anti-terrorism efforts.
Obama also met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul. Karzai spokesman Homayoon Hamedzada says Obama expressed a commitment to supporting Afghanistan and continuing the fight against terrorism.
Obama plans to visit Israel and Jordan during his Middle East tour, before moving on to Europe. He is traveling with two fellow senators, Republican Chuck Hagel and Democrat Jack Reed.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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